What Is Gold Jewelry Made Of?

A Closer Look at Colors, Karats, and Plates

Whether you’re just starting to look for your dream wedding band, recently inherited your grandmother’s jewelry, or are simply curious about the composition of your gold items - you’re not alone.

Gold comes in a variety of different colors, karats, and plating types. It can be important to know the meaning behind certain terms, especially if you’re about to make an investment in a fine piece of jewelry.

So, Just What is Gold Anyway?

Essentially, gold is a chemical element. In its purest form it is a bright, slightly reddish yellow, and its texture is dense, soft, and malleable.

Gold often occurs in free elemental form, in rocks, as nuggets or grains, in veins, and in alluvial deposits. Because of its softness, gold is alloyed with base metals for use in making jewelry.

“Pure gold… is too soft to be made into jewelry as it wouldn’t hold up to the abuse of daily wear...” says an article in the Huffington Post, “therefore pure gold must be alloyed, or mixed, with other metals to make it more durable.”

That means that most gold jewelry contains a percentage of gold, and a percentage of other metals. Let’s take a closer look at the most common gold jewelry compositions.

How Much Gold is in My Jewelry?

Gold is measured in 24 parts, or Karats. Pure gold is 24k, and gold jewelry usually comes in 18k, 14k, or 10k.

The highest quality jewelry is often made from 18k gold. This is 18 parts pure, three parts copper, and three parts silver, or 75% pure gold.

The most popular gold in the US today is 14k gold. This is 14 parts, or 58.3% pure gold. Traditionally, the remaining percentage is made from five parts copper, and five parts silver.

Less expensive gold is made of 10k gold, which lowers the gold content and thus the cost. This is generally made from 10 parts pure gold, seven parts copper, and seven parts silver, or only 41% pure gold.

Let’s take a deeper look at some of the color options available in gold jewelry.

Yellow Gold

Yellow gold is typically 10 parts gold, five parts copper, and five parts silver. It has a richer hue than other kinds of gold, and makes a durable yet beautiful metal for crafting fine jewelry.

White Gold

White gold is made of gold and platinum. It is more durable and scratch resistant than yellow gold. The very last step in making a piece of white gold jewelry is to electroplate it with a metal called rhodium.

Rose Gold

Rose gold is alloyed with gold, copper, and silver. Rose gold is more affordable than other gold colors because of its high copper content, and is also more durable than yellow or white gold.

Green Gold

Green gold (or electrum) is mixed with gold, silver, and sometimes copper. Silver gives the gold alloy its subtle green tone.

Endless Gold Jewelry Varieties

The art of making gold jewelry is complex and sophisticated, and there are literally endless varieties of color, plating, and alloy.

Whether you’re shopping for the perfect piece of jewelry or evaluating a piece you already own, knowing more about your piece can be fascinating.

Have questions about your jewelry? Looking for the perfect piece, or want to know more about a piece you already own? e-mail: jim@lexandlu.com. Our friendly jewelry experts are eager to speak with you and answer your questions.